Database/Emulsifying Surfactant/Deceth-3
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Deceth-3 natural?

Mostly. Decanol is an oleochemical fatty alcohol and natural; the three ethoxylate units are derived from petrochemical ethylene oxide.

INCI nameDeceth-3
CAS26183-52-8
FormulaC16H34O4 · 290.44 Da
FunctionEmulsifying Surfactant · Cleansing Surfactant
FeedstockDecanol for Deceth-3 is typically oleochemical, from coconut…

How we scored it

Decanol natural fragment C10H21O 157.3 Da / total C16H34O4 290.4 Da = 0.54; remainder is 3 EO petrochemical (132.2 Da).
What counts. ISO 16128-2 scores the atoms that remain in the final ingredient. Reagents, solvents, catalysts and protecting groups used during manufacture leave no mass behind and are not counted.

Where it comes from

Decanol for Deceth-3 is typically oleochemical, from coconut or palm kernel oil. It is reacted with three moles of petrochemical ethylene oxide to form the ether.

In plain English

An emulsifying and cleansing ingredient made from a coconut/palm-derived fatty alcohol (decanol) reacted with ethylene oxide. Helps blend water and oil in cleansers.

CosIng definition: Decanol, ethoxylated (3 mol EO average molar ratio)

Natural alternatives with the same function

Structure

2D structure of Deceth-3

2-[2-(2-decoxyethoxy)ethoxy]ethanol

PubChem CID 526723 ↗

References

  1. 1ISO 16128-1:2016 and ISO 16128-2:2017 — Guidelines on technical definitions and criteria for natural and organic cosmetic ingredients and products. ISO, Geneva.
  2. 2Deceth-3. PubChem CID 526723. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3DECETH-3. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4DECETH-3. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=DECETH-3